Cain Velasquez

(image via ufc.com)

Growing up, Cain Velasquez couldn't afford to train to become a boxer. So he became a fighter instead.

Born in California and raised in Arizona, Velasquez grew up idolizing Mexican boxers like Érik Morales and Marco Antonio Barrera. “My dad wanted me to box, and I wanted to box, too," recalls the six-foot-one, 240-pound Velasquez. There was one problem. His parents couldn't afford it. In junior high, he discovered wrestling and soon traded in his gloves for a singlet. In high school, he was a two-time state champion and by the time he graduated from Arizona State University, Velasquez was a two-time All American.

By combining elite Greco-Roman wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu and kickboxing, the former nightclub bouncer is elbowing his way into the center of the crowded heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Renowned for his endurance and perfectionism in the gym, the soft-spoken grappler says words mean little once the bell rings: "Regardless of what people say about me, I’m going to have to go out there and prove it." And prove it he has: Velasquez is currently undefeated with five victories, all by knockout and all but one in the first round. Few heavyweight MMA fighters have careers that last beyond 30 fights.

Velasquez, who has the words "Brown Pride" tattooed on his chest, says his boxing-obsessed father still influenced his MMA style: "My dad started out working in the lettuce fields and he kinda just worked his way up and became a truck driver… I got my work ethic just from watching him."